Apple Getting Ready to Design Their Own Chips
Apple Getting Ready to Design Their Own Chips
Posted 04/30/2009 at 6:32am
| by Paul Lilly
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Even if they won't say it publicly (and they aren't), Apple appears pretty juiced at the prospect of developing its own chips. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal Online, Apple has been hand-picking people from all over the semiconductor industry, which also includes engineers for creating multifunction chips for use in cellphones.
One such hire includes Raja Koduri, the former chief technology officer of the graphics group at AMD. Koduri started his new position this week, while other online job postings include a call for several chip-related positions, some of which are described as "verifying functionality correctness of a high performance chip design."
While Apple is keeping silent on the subject, the company's tight-lipped approach might be one of the reasons they're looking to develop their own chips. Citing people familiar with the situation, WSJO says Apple not only wants to beat its rivals to market with new features, but also wants to keep a lid on its technology plans with external chip suppliers.
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Denis63
May 01, 2009 at 6:02am
Will somebody just make a bloody virus for a Mac so the effing Mac fans can go stuff themselves? "I have the best, most secure computer on the planet!" says my buddy who recently got a Mac. I told him, "look at the last two years of Pwn2own, you have the least secure, most expensive computer on the planet." That shut him up, heh heh heh. And does apple not have enough of a stanglehold on their hardware?
Windows, FTW! (although, i do think Linux is in fact better, Windows is just easier and nicer to play with.)
-Denis
nam112381
April 30, 2009 at 5:47pm
You do realize that the chips Apple are looking to design are likely for the future iPhone revisions, right? I mean, the article doesn't mention that much (it only mentions they are looking for engineers of multi-use chips for cell phones), but that's what people on tech sites have been talking about for a couple of months now. They're looking to use their own chips so they can have more control over their device and specifically to improve battery life.
Also, for those who don't know, Apple has always used its own hardware (except when they authorized some clones under John Sculley). What they have never used is their own chips. They started with Motorola, moved to IBM's PowerPC platform, and finally abandoned it for Intel. Oddly enough, the PowerPC architecture is still good enough Sony's PS3, and ironically, Xbox360.
bingojubes
April 30, 2009 at 3:46pm
...and the processor itself will be shaped like their unfinished, wasted apple that nobody bothered to finish eating. Poor Apple. never had a chance to be fully enjoyed.
Core A7 (not "i", since "i" is for Intel), or probably the iCore system (sticking with the whole "apple" theme, ya know), complete with future "Games For Apple" games. i wish Apple good luck with that "new direction". it may be hard for Apple to reinvent the wheel for themselves when many companies probably already have patents on existing designs (i can't confirm that). With that, the Apple stores may end up looking like a "cleaner" version of a computer hardware store. and as compact as some MACs are, they may charge MORE for working on a MAC at the repair shop.
it's only speculation right now, of course. i also wonder if they will make stuff for x58 MAC fans?
rob41
April 30, 2009 at 1:34pm
Remember when..................................Mac used their own hardware? It was crap so of couse they had no choice but to admit that PC hardware was far superiot to their own. That's why a Mac is really a PC (albeit slow to medium) with only theirown OS.
They may succeed if it's used in net books but to think they could actually compete against AMD or Intel?
Just pathetic!
I love it when someone with an anemic Macbook"pro" says it plays games great dual booting with windows.
Yeah, a Mac (pc parts inside) running windows to play games. OMFG! That's a PC with a rotton apple logo on the lid!
When will apple fanboys realize that the only thing an apple is, is the OS.
The whole Apple company is a joke. Their greatest success is the ipod. The public and the media has swallowed them hook line and sinker. Yes, the interface of the hardwae is nice, but the software blows. Worse than that is the fact that acustically they are one of the worst players out there.
Apples are for apple sauce or to put in the mouth of a pig!
End of rant.
kiaghi7
April 30, 2009 at 1:27pm
I seem to recall apple hardware once upon a time... Whatever happened to it?
Oh yes, that's right, it FAILED and lost the PC vs. Mac war once and for all!
By technology years, it was an eternity ago at that.
Apple knows they lost, and they know their market share is nowhere near
sufficient to support what caused them to implode once before; this is
precisely why Macs are nothing but PC's with their proprietary OS on it. And
even in that arena they are eclipsed by Linux.
By all means let's see them do this, fail again, lose a tremendous amount of
money, and all in an effort to bring a pathetically inferior product to market
again which STILL won't have any support or be on par with the PC you could
build for the same money that would be worlds beyond it.
They will likely revert to the "Mac Berry" marketing scam angled
precisely at those who shop by appearances rather than performance. Because we
all know that when spending a couple thousand dollars it's more important that
the computer look cute than actually perform the task it was purchased for
efficiently.
horzo
April 30, 2009 at 9:59am
Building a chip design (and manufacturing) infrastructure from scratch? When others already do it cheaper and better? Doesn't seem like a particularly wise move to me,
Bender2000
April 30, 2009 at 1:06pm
If they're just mixing up their own batch of ARM licensed system on a chip soup then they'll just farm out the chip making to a foundry. Seems like a subtle difference between having someone design and build your SOC rather than designing it in house. We'll see what advantage they can bring off of this.
If they are going back on Intel and designing their PC CPUs in house, wouldn't they need a license for the x86 architecture to get anything to run? They'd have to have that to even begin to design their own CPU. Since AMD split off their design and manufacturing, it is conceivible that Apple could design a CPU then have a foundry build it. But that sounds nuts, even for Jobs. It would be a lot cheaper to buy Motorola and have them design and build their CPUs.
tkddan87
April 30, 2009 at 8:47am
When they first hit the main stream wasnt apple making its own hardware? Also, didnt they stop making their own hardware because it cost too much and the hardware was inferior to hardware already out at the time? What makes them think its going to be any different this time?
dc10ten
April 30, 2009 at 9:41am
when they were "doing they're own thing" they had IBM designed processors.
going with intel was one of their smartest moves. this "doing their own thing" might just be for the iphone to bring even more functionality, especially when they are in talks with verizon (designing a second type of iphone?)
breaking off the apple/intel marriage might cost them...
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